Brianna Ordonez, a SUNY Old Westbury senior majoring in Special Education and Childhood Education, has received the Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence from the State University of New York.
Ordonez, who lives in Lindenhurst, New York, was one of 45 students in SUNY Educational Opportunity Programs statewide recognized during a recent award ceremony held on April 14, 2022 in Albany, New York.
"The students we celebrate today have their own story on how they got to SUNY, but they are unified by their incredible perseverance in pursuit of their academic dreams," said SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley. "Despite personal hardships, these individuals are driving forward to change the world. My congratulations to this year’s awardees and their families both on and off campus."
The McConney Awards ceremony featured an additional SUNY Old Westbury tie-in with a keynote address by 2021 award winner Kalief Metellus, currently the SUNY Student Advocate Fellow and a graduate of SUNY Old Westbury.
"As a former Student Government Association president and EOP graduate, I carry with me the struggles my peers have confided in me and the challenges our EOP students face every day," he said. "I applaud these students in whose shoes I have walked and look forward to seeing them fly ever higher."
Named in honor of the late Norman R. McConney, Jr., the award recognizes students participating in SUNY's Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) for their academic excellence and strength in overcoming significant personal obstacles throughout their lives. McConney helped create EOP as a statewide program that has served 75,000 New Yorkers to date from underprivileged backgrounds.
The mission of the Educational Opportunity Program at SUNY Old Westbury is to provide access, and promote and support the inclusive excellence that develops the social capital and professional preparedness for building a more just and sustainable world to students of New York State who show promise for succeeding at the College but who are financially hindered and may not have otherwise been offered admission.
Since its inception in 1967, the EOP has provided access, academic support, and supplemental financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In its 55-year history, the EOP has served more than 78,000 students and evolved into one of the country's most successful college access programs. In the current academic year, SUNY has nearly 8,000 EOP students on 50 SUNY campuses. EOP students often outperform their peers, with 74 percent of them graduating with a baccalaureate degree within six years.
Photo caption: Brianna Ordonez '22